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OtapediaSAO: Progressive 1/4 - Sword Art Online

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Summary

Sword Art Online Progressive, or "Progressive" for short, is a light novel and manga series written by Kawahara Reki that is a reboot of the original SAO series. The light novel is illustrated by abec, and the manga by Himura Kiseki. The serializations started on October 10, 2012 for the novel and September, 2010 for the manga; and the English-translated versions by Yen Press on March 24, 2015 and January, 2015, respectively. The volume numbers are three-digit. The manga continues into Sword Art Online - Progressive Barcarolle of Froth which is illustrated by Shiomi Miyoshi and is serialized since April 28, 2018.

Chronology

Volume 001

This volume covers Kirito and Asuna's exploration of Aincrad Floors 1 and 2. It includes the two officially published side stories from the base webnovel.

Aria of a Starless Night

December 2, 2022. A month passed since SAO started, with two thousand players dead and the first floor yet to be cleared.

In the Floor 1 Labyrinth, Kirito notices a solo player wasting her higher-fatigue rapier Sword Skill on weak mobs. He talks to her, learns it was her first time playing an MMO, and decides to help out. She wants to grind more monsters but is too tired and faints, so Kirito rescues her.

On a grassy field, the rapier player, whose name was Asuna, wakes up and says Kirito did not have to save her. She talks about having borrowed the NerveGear from her older brother Yuuki Kōichirō. Kirito tells Asuna there is a meeting at Tolbana to happen for the boss raid. They reach Tolbana's northern gate and part ways until the meeting.

Kirito talks to Aincrad's best informant Argo the Rat, a girl with whiskers painted on her face (in real life since that was how SAO is), who tells him the potential buyer raised the offer for his Anneal Blade +6 to 29,800 col. Kirito refuses to sell it and wonders why her client wants it so much.

Argo leaves, and Kirito finds Asuna who was having lunch near the fountains at the town center.

At the raid meeting, 44 players are gathered by the fountains. Diavel steps up and says the boss room was discovered in the dungeon. His deliberation meets approval but is interrupted by a Kibaō, who demands an apology from the beta testers who are secretly mixed in with the crowd. A tall man named Agil rebukes him by telling him the game Strategy Guide that everyone has was made using the beta testers' feedback. Diavel gets to finish talking.

The clearing group led by Diavel found the details about the Floor 1 boss and his respawning minions. The gathering forms seven parties in a strategical set-up, and the solo players Kirito and Asuna get the rear guarding roles.

The meeting ends, and Asuna borrows Kirito's bath at his rented room at a farm.

Argo steps in while Asuna is bathing, and tells Kirito 39,800 col is the new price. Kirito pays Argo to tell him who the buyer is, and it was Kibaō. Kirito wonders if he is suspected of being a beta player. Argo goes to the bathroom to change, and finds Asuna there, startling her into running out naked to cross gazes with Kirito.

On December 4, Diavel gives a pep talk to motivate the Clearers.

While the Clearers approach the Labyrinth, Asuna and Kirito's small talk turns into wondering what awaits beyond Floor 1.

The raid reaches the boss room in a couple hours.

The Clearers drop the boss's health to the next attack pattern.

Diavel is mortally wounded in a reckless attack and dies in front of Kirito. Kirito realizes Diavel has been trying to get the last attack bonus, since he had been another beta tester and knew it existed; further, he was the real client wanting Kirito's sword just to stop him from getting the bonus for himself like he had done during the beta test.

Kirito fulfils Diavel's last wish by employing everyone's teamwork and performing a combined attack with Asuna to beat the boss, getting the last attack bonus — a rare item drop.

Continued on page 2.

References

TOM Shop

Sword Art Online